Before ordering the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX airplanes on Wednesday, President Trump was concerned that the act would cause alarm and hurt the stock market, two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed on Sunday just minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, and the United States was the last major country still allowing the planes to fly.
During discussions with White House and Department of Transportation officials, Trump acted like an expert, people in the room told the Post, saying the Boeing 737 "sucked" and praising the Boeing 757, the type of jet he personally owns. He tried to explain equipment found in different types of airplanes, and kept comparing them to his plane. "He was very much engaged in this," one official said.